Leeds open talks for £26m Wolves star as strong proof the 3-5-2 formation is here to stay | OneFootball

Leeds United took a giant step towards Premier League safety on Saturday with a routine 3-0 win over this season’s cannon fodder Wolves at Elland Road, and even though far from their best, it was another result that demonstrated why Daniel Farke’s mid-season adjustment to a 3-5-2 formation is here to stay.

The Whites had a simple target this season upon their return to the Premier League: survival. With five games left to play, Leeds almost look home and hosed, and while everyone associated with the all-too-superstitious West Yorkshire side is not counting any chickens just yet, it would take the most dramatic of collapses if they were to go down from this point.

Now 15th, eight points clear of Tottenham and six clear of West Ham, Opta gives Leeds just a 0.4% chance of relegation.

Put into context, no team in Premier League history has ever been relegated after accruing 39 points at this point in the season.

Despite that, and even following a sun-drenched win over Wolves in a game that actually had ‘first game of the season’ vibes – was it the sunshine, the win over Man Utd a few days prior, or the brass band playing outside the East Stand pre-match, who knows, maybe a combination of all three? – Leeds fans will not yet relax.

But a point (or better) at Bournemouth, who have European aspirations of their own, on Wednesday ought to be enough for Leeds.

And with an FA Cup semi-final to come on Sunday against Chelsea at Wembley, this really is turning into an impressive first season back among the elite for Leeds.

As widely documented, the catalyst for change came at half-time during the clash against Manchester City at the Etihad at the end of November.

Faced with the sack and in a real ‘f*** it’ moment, Farke decided to roll the dice and revert from his career-long 4-3-2-1 formation to a lesser-seen 3-5-2.

The results were devastating and, more or less, instant.

Fighting back from 2-0 down to Pep Guardiola’s side, Leeds quickly pulled it back to 2-2. They eventually succumbed to a late Phil Foden goal, but Farke had seen enough from the formation to employ it again days later as Chelsea were dispatched 3-1 on a bitterly cold early December night, before they ground out a point in a 3-3 thriller with Liverpool.

Leeds formation here to stay as evidence backs that up

While occasionally reverting to tradition, that 3-5-2 formation is now here to stay at Leeds and, quite rightly, with strong justification.

Since introducing that formation – designed to get the best out of their very attack-minded wing-backs, Jayden Bogle and Gabriel Gudmundsson, Leeds sit eighth in the Premier League table.

Indeed, had the season started then, they would now be in contention for European football.

Granted, 10 of that 20-game run have resulted in draws, perhaps showcasing a side who, while hard to beat, don’t quite yet have the ruthless savagery of the very top sides.

But what it has illustrated, and a deeper look at those games since December 3, is that Leeds can consider themselves unfortunate not to be higher up the table. Late concessions during away games at Aston Villa and Newcastle in that time point to dropped points which really should have been won, while the Whites were arguably the better side when also claiming points at Brentford and Sunderland in and around the Festive period.

A missed Dominic Calvert-Lewin penalty at Crystal Palace, when the Whites were incorrectly reduced to 10 men, also furthers the point, though the Whites can take enormous satisfaction from a first league win at Manchester United in some 45 years, just last week.

Further evidence can be pointed to the fact that Leeds are, quietly, now on an eight-game unbeaten run across all competitions away from home.

That will be tested at Bournemouth on Wednesday, for certain.

But for that late loss at Newcastle, though, where Leeds let slip a 3-2 lead heading into the final stages to lose 4-3 in one of the games of the season, Farke’s side would have been unbeaten on their travels since that fateful day at the Etihad at the back end of November.

Leeds ask about Wolves star with 3-5-2 here to stay

As attention turns towards the summer, Leeds can soon begin to officially plan for life as a Premier League side once again. Emblazed by the events of this season, the challenge will be to better it next… That’s for the future, at least.

In the meantime, it’s understood that Leeds’ summer transfer plans will now revolve around players not just comfortable, but adept at performing in a 3-5-2 formation.

And with that in mind, Leeds hope to sign a new goalkeeper, a left-sided centre-half to provide cover and competition for Pascal Struijk, and another centre forward to keep the popular (but not always prolific) Calvert-Lewin on his toes.

Now it’s reported over at TEAMtalk, that the Whites have taken the first steps towards that first summer signing, by using Saturday’s game against Championship-bound Wolves to open talks over a potential summer deal for their left-sided centre-half Ladislav Krejci.

The Czech captain has been one of the few stand-out performers in a thoroughly miserable season for the Old Gold, whose eight-year spell in the Premier League could end as soon as Monday evening if the Hammers gain a draw at Selhurst Park.

Signed on an initial loan from Girona, the move will become a permanent £26m (€30m, $35m) move this summer, having already triggered the terms required.

But with a clause in the deal allowing him to leave, it’s understood that Leeds will look to take advantage and bring the 25-year-old to Elland Road this summer.

Given his excellence in a 3-5-2 formation, his signing – a possible first of the summer at Elland Road – would further prove Leeds’ intentions to stay committed in the long-term to their new-look system.

If they can add better players to their mix and, crucially, add a more potent cutting edge up front, the 2026/27 campaign could shape up to be even bigger and better for Leeds.

For now, though, the focus remains, very much, on the task in hand: officially confirming survival and, who knows, possibly a first FA Cup final since 1973.